DirecTV’s HD Suit vs. Comcast: Oct. 22

Judge John Grady of the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Illinois last week scheduled the trial date on the litigation filed in May by the nation’s biggest direct-broadcast satellite provider against the country’s largest cable operator.

DirecTV’s suit relates to an aggressive ad campaign Comcast launched proclaiming that in a survey, satellite customers thought that the cable operator had the best HDTV picture quality.

Comcast in June filed a counterclaim against DirecTV, denying the false-advertising charges.

And July 7, Comcast asked for a preliminary injunction against DirecTV, objecting to the satellite company’s latest ad campaign. Comcast claimed that DirecTV’s ads are claiming that its service has “superior picture quality to Comcast.”

The judge has taken the motion for a preliminary injunction under advisement.